Jeff LaBar, longtime guitarist for the glam metal band Cinderella, died Wednesday at his Nashville home. He was 58.
His son and Tantric guitarist Sebastian LaBar confirmed his dad’s passing. “My father, my hero, my idol, passed away today,” he posted in an emotional tribute via Instagram. “I’m currently at a loss for words.”
The cause of his death has not yet been announced, but his ex-wife Gaile LaBar-Bernhardt discovered him unconscious after not hearing from him in a few days, the Sun reported.
LaBar joined Cinderella in 1985, three years after its creation, when the band’s original guitarist, Michael Schermick, left. The Philadelphia-based metal group welcomed him on as they were signing to a record label.
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In 1986, the band released its debut album, “Night Songs,” which jumped to the third slot on the Billboard 200. It wasn’t until their next album, “Long Cold Winter” in 1988, that the band released its signature song: “Don’t Know What You Got (Till It’s Gone).”
Cinderella toured with the iconic hairband likes of Bon Jovi and Poison until they eventually disbanded in 2017 after years of hiatus. LaBar later released music of his own as well as touring with other groups including Cheap Thrill, Freakshow, and the Naked Beggars.
Among those paying their respects to LaBar after his passing was Mark Slaughter, co-founder of the band Slaughter, who tweeted, “Gone too soon. RIP Jeff Labar.”
Poison drummer Rikki Rockett was also among his peers paying homage: “Blown away hearing about Jeff LaBar.
